whiskers on kittens
by swans a melting
Summary: ridiculous modern au corah fluff


Cora was snuggled up on the sofa, hair falling round her chin and wearing torn jeans with an old shirt that technically belonged to Sarah that smelt rather pleasantly of cigarette smoke and soap. The kitten was on her lap and she fondled its ears gently, smiling down at its little whiskery face.

"Won't your auntie Sarah just love you when she comes home?" Cora chirped, scooping the kitten up towards her chest. "Yes she will! You're going to be the loveliest surprise for her!" The kitten meowed, wriggling out of Cora's grasp and she let it jump down onto the floor, tucking her long legs up underneath her, watching as it wobbled across the room.

A kitten was certainly not something Cora had anticipated as having that morning when she waved Sarah off to work, but Rosamund had turned up at about midday with a suspiciously moving basket and she'd set it down on their kitchen table with a great heaving sigh, before pulling it open to reveal a tiny, fluffy grey kitten with charmingly long whiskers. It blinked up at Cora and Ros, startled by the sudden burst of light, almost quivering where it sat and Cora's heart absolutely melted at the sight of it.

"Oh, Rosamund!" she breathed, "whatever are you doing with a kitten here?"

Rosamund rolled her eyes. "This," she announced, "is Linny." Cora smirked and Rosamund just shook her head, reaching down into the box to scratch Linny's ears.

"Oh, don't look at me, I didn't name her, Vera did," she said. "If it had been up to me we'd have called her something more glamorous but then, we were rather expecting a slightly more glamorous cat…" she trailed off, looking down at it fondly. "That's the last time _I_ get Thomas Barrow to hunt me out a pet. She is rather sweet though, isn't she?"

"She's absolutely gorgeous," Cora sighed, "I don't know what you mean about her not being glamorous, she's beautiful – look at all that fur!" She reached into the box and gently pulled the kitten out, soothing it in her hands. "Shh, darling," she whispered to it as it began to shuffle around, "you're going to be alright."

Cora looked up at Rosamund. "She's lovely, Ros, and I'm glad you and Vera decided to get a cat after all that debating you did over it, but what on earth is she doing _here_?"

"Ah." Rosamund looked slightly sheepish. "Well, the thing is," she said, "she's still so little and I don't want to leave her on her own but Vera and I both have work and can't stay off to look after her so…"

"So you decide to ask the unemployed ex-sister in law to look after it for you," Cora teased knowingly. "Don't pretend to look like you don't know what I'm on about, Rosamund Painswick, I know your ways!"

Rosamund clutched her hand to her heart in mock outrage and Cora laughed. "Of course I'll look after Linny for you," she said, "it'd be an absolute pleasure."

"Are you sure?" Rosamund asked, "I don't want to impose on you."

"Oh Ros, I'm pretty sure a kitten as little as this could never _impose_ on anyone," Cora said, scratching Linny's ears fondly "and it's not like I've got much else to do with my time." She'd been made redundant from her job at a fancy advertising firm a month ago because the company had been making cutbacks and had spent most of her time since sitting around at home reading novels and flicking around on daytime TV channels when she was supposed to be job hunting, much to the annoyance of Sarah who was working endlessly long days on the other side of town.

Rosamund beamed. "I knew I could rely on you," she said, "Vera said there was no way you'd say no to something like this."

Cora snorted slightly. "Vera thinks I'm a pushover," she said, "either that or she knows me too well."

"Darling, everyone knows you too well," Rosamund sighed, "I don't know if you've noticed but you do tend to be rather vocal after a glass of wine or two. And Vera doesn't think you're a pushover, but you know what she's like, she just likes winding people up."

Cora gave a half shrug. "Well true," she said. "And she always manages to be awfully good at it! Anyway, how long am I looking after Linny for you?"

"Well I don't finish work till seven," Rosamund said, "and Vera finishes at eight, but we're not going to be properly home until nine-ish so I'd say about then. Sorry, I know it's a lot at short notice."

Cora shook her head. "No, no don't worry about it," she said, "I'm happy to have her." Her lips quirked up suddenly into a mischievous smile. "In fact I'd rather have her until a bit later so I can see the look on Sarah's face when she comes home!"

Rosamund snorted. "Indeed. Does she still not like cats?"

"No, or so she claims," Cora grinned, "but I'm determined to win her round. I'll make a cat lover of her yet!" She put Linny back down on the table. "We can make Sarah love you, can't we," she smiled, tucking a wave of dark hair back behind one ear as it fell forwards before her face. "To be honest though, I'm sure Sarah adores them secretly," Cora quipped, "she just likes to pretend she's immune to anything cuddly, it doesn't really fit in with her image does it?"

"Sarah's thinks she comes across as immune to cute things does she?" Rosamund smirked incredulously. "Is she not aware that she's married to you?"

Cora swatted Rosamund's arm playfully, and Ros grinned, quickly checking her watch. "I need to get off for the train now," she said, "but I'll see you tonight?"

"You will," Cora nodded. "See you later on."

Rosamund bent down towards the kitten sitting on the table. "You stay with Cora and be good now," she said, giving it a quick stroke goodbye. "I'll be back for you later."

She leant in towards Cora, briefly kissing her on the cheek. "I'll see you later, darling," she said, waving her car keys at her as she began to make her way out, and Cora scooped up Linny as she followed Rosamund towards the door so she couldn't get any ideas about making a sudden break for it.

Rosamund waved again as she set the engine going, and Cora waved back, carefully clutching Linny with the other hand as Ros reversed down the next door neighbours drive, accidentally mowing over a potted plant that Cora recognised with a cringe as being one the nice Mrs Carson had spent three months proudly growing and shook her head at the kitten as they retreated back in doors.

"Oh dear," she said aloud. "Mrs Carson is not going to be happy." She shook her head at Linny, gently settling her down upon the table. "There we are!" The kitten gazed up at her with tiny little green eyes, and Cora beamed, settling down on one of the chairs beside it.

"Well my darling," she sighed, "what are we going to do today? I wasn't expecting the honour of the company of a cat such as you!" Linny jumped off the table and Cora squatted down on the floor beside her. She hadn't realised how much she missed having a cat, they were such lovely daft creatures and she hadn't had a kitten to fuss round for a very long time, not properly since she'd come over from America even.

Linny began to pad about the kitchen floor, sniffing at a chair leg, and Cora stretched out, struggling out up from the floor and rubbed her back ruefully. "I'm not as young as I once was, Linny," she said, "I'm almost fifty five! I'm sure that must be so hard to imagine for a kitten as young as you but there we are…" she trailed off, watching Linny poke her head into the living room and she followed her, making sure she didn't get caught on anything that could hurt her.

"No, of course exploring is much more interesting than listening to me natter on about my aches and pains," Cora said cheerily. "Sorry!"

She ran her hands through her hair and laughed. God, here she was in the middle of the day unemployed and talking to a highly uninterested cat! "I suppose me talking to you is the sort of thing your auntie Vera would laugh at," she said. "But my old cat in America was the most excellent listener. He'd sit there and I could whisper him my secrets for hours on end. I could!"

She bent down and picked Linny up, pulling her away from one of Sarah's fancy cashmere jumpers that she'd left lying on the sofa. "Oh no, you can't click that!" Cora smiled. "No you can't! Sarah would not be pleased." She flopped down, settling the kitten into her lap. "Shall we have a sit down for a bit?"

Linny looked up at her, wide eyed, and Cora squeaked as she let out a very tiny meow. "Ohh!" Cora cried, "oh you absolute love." Linny hopped off her knee again onto the floor, batting at a ball of wool from Cora's latest knitting project and it skittered across the room, unravelling as Linny scampered after it.

"Do you want to play?" Cora asked. "Come on." She gathered up the wool, rolling it back into a ball and snapped it just before the end, leaving a string about half a meter long.

Linny jumped for it excitedly and Cora laughed, whisking it up into the air as Linny flung herself around, wriggling her tiny little body and pouncing on the twitching end, scrapping at it with her back legs until it become frayed and torn. "Watch out, you'll get it all caught in your claws!" Cora cried, gently trying to tug it away, and Linny leapt even higher, her tail catching beneath her feet and Cora laughed as the kitten at last retreated beneath the coffee table, all worn out.

She crouched down before it, holding out her hands. "Are you coming out from there darling?" she asked, making a chirrupy noise. "No?" Linny surveyed her gravely, ears twitching, and Cora stood up again. "Well, alright then," she said. "But you stay there whilst I go make myself a cup of tea!"

She went through to the little kitchen, filling up the kettle and dumping a tea bag into the pot, leaning back against the unit with a sigh as she waited for it to boil. She was just adding the milk and a tiny slip of sugar when there was a rattling noise like keys in the door, and Cora looked up, startled. "Hello?" she called out, "is someone there?"

The door opened and Cora stepped back, but it was only Sarah, and Cora set the milk down heavily, rushing over to kiss her wife. "Darling?" she said. "You're home early, is everything alright?"

"Yeah, yeah," Sarah sighed. "I've just got an absolutely banging headache and the boss told me I could go home early, I wasn't getting anything done."

Cora looked at her in concern. "You do look rather pale," she said, running a hand over Sarah's forehead, "and it must be bad if he let you go home, I know what your work is like! Sit down, I'm just making a cup of tea."

"Thanks love." Sarah sat down heavily on the sofa, stretching out her legs in front of her and taking off her blazer, pulling her jumper she'd left there the night before over her head in relief. God, it was nice to be able to come home early for once, even though it was because her head was splitting. She worked such long hours and always missed Cora during the day, especially since Cora had been made redundant and she knew that she was just sitting at home.

Pulling the cuffs of the jumper over her wrists, Sarah frowned slightly. There was a rustling noise coming from Cora's knitting bag, and she peered over the arm of the sofa curiously, pulling back the tissue paper Cora had stuffed in there to see. Inside was one of the smallest kittens she'd ever seen, a tiny little grey thing that was so little and fluffy she wondered for a moment if it wasn't a cat at all but a scrap of fur with eyes, and it looked up at her warily, Cora's yarns all tucked round its legs.

Sarah's lips twitched into an involuntary smile. The kitten scrambled about in the bag, the yarn around it pulling tighter and Sarah reached inside, gently pulling it away. "You might want to come on out," she whispered, "I don't think Cora will appreciate you messing up that cardigan she's making."

Cora came back through with two mugs of tea and a packet of paracetamol that she tossed at Sarah, and sat down on the chair opposite with a smile, tucking her legs up beneath her.

"Cheers," Sarah said as she took the tea. "Erm, Cora, why is there a kitten in your knitting bag?"

Cora laughed aloud. "Linny!" she cried. "When did you get in here?" she lifted her out of the bag and sat down on the sofa beside Sarah, settling Linny down on her knee.

"This," she said, "is Linny."

Sarah eyed her sideways. "You've never gone and bought a cat without telling me?!" she snorted. "Cora!"

"No!" Cora grinned. "No, she's Vera and Rosamund's, but I'm the one that's been landed with cat-sitting duty whilst they're both at work." She smiled beguilingly at Sarah. "Isn't she just the loveliest little thing?"

"Eh, she's alright," Sarah said nonchalantly. "You know how I feel about cats."

"Yes I do, I know you secretly love them!" Cora laughed. "Come on, you can't deny it!" She dumped Linny onto Sarah's lap, and Linny wobbled about for a moment before nestling into Sarah's stomach, rubbing her ears against her jumper.

"See, she likes you!"

Sarah reached out tentatively, stroking Linny's back ever so slightly. "Aw, she's purring," she whispered.

Cora smirked. "I knew you liked cats. I don't know why you pretend you don't!"

Sarah looked at Cora and grinned, shrugging. "I don't pretend I dislike them! We're not all like you, parading around telling anyone who'll listen about all the cats you had when you were in America!" She shuffled closer to Cora, pulling Linny with her. "I'm not as cat mad as you are but…" she glanced down at the now sleeping kitten, "…she is absolutely lovely."

"Oh, I knew you'd adore her!" Cora smiled. "And I must say, this is nice, curled up on the sofa with my wife and a kitten on a weekday." She looked at Sarah anxiously. "How is your head?"

"'s a bit better," Sarah said. "Thanks for the paracetamol. And it's a bit better for just getting out of work for a bit and all, it's like bloody pandemonium in there today."

"You work too hard," Cora sighed. "When I finally get another job sorted our income will rise and hopefully you can maybe reduce your hours."

"Yeah, that would be nice," Sarah admitted. "I mean, I don't mind the work, but it is so exhausting…" she rubbed her temples slightly and Cora wrapped an arm around her, pulling her in and Sarah rested her head on Cora's shoulder, settling down. "Ugh, I could just go to sleep now."

Cora idly stroked Sarah's hair. "Well, try if you want to, darling," she said softly. "It's not like we have anywhere to rush off to or have anything very urgent to do all day."

"Yeah," Sarah mumbled, already closing her eyes as she kicked off her shoes, swivelling her legs round so she was properly lying against Cora on the sofa.

"Here, pass me Linny," Cora said, carefully picking up the cat. "Is that alright?"

Sarah nodded. "Mmh," she sighed, face against Cora's leg, and she reached out to take one of Cora's slender pale hands, fingering the worn wedding ring she wore gently, feeling the pull of her own.

They lay like that for a moment, Sarah completely flopped across Cora's legs whilst Cora struggled to stroke both Linny and Sarah's hair at the time. It was a lovely rich mahogany brown at the moment; she'd just dyed it the week before, and Cora smiled to herself at the memory of Sarah with her head stuck over the bathroom sink, moaning about her grey roots. Sarah was not remotely vain but her hair rather was her crowning glory, almost falling to her waist when she let it out of its usual tight bun.

Cora yawned slightly, feeling herself sink back into the sofa too, and she smirked a little as she closed her eyes. It couldn't hurt to have a nap for a bit herself; it wasn't like she was going anywhere any time soon with Sarah draped on top of her along with the cat. Still, she hadn't had her eyes closed for more than five minutes when Linny started wriggling against her grasp and managed to work herself free, jumping down to the floor but not before using Sarah's head as a conveniently placed springboard, and Sarah leapt up with a yell.

"Oi!" she cried, "not on my face you absolute monster!" She bent down to scoop up the kitten, shaking her head at it fondly. "It's a good job it's only got little claws," she said. "Honestly."

"Oh, she can't have scratched you?" Cora laughed.

"I'm fine," Sarah said, "it's just that I was scratched by the cat my dad had in 'is barn to keep out the rats when I was little and that's why I've always been a bit wary of them since."

"Ah, so that's what it is!" said Cora.

"Yeah," Cora sighed. "Dad's cat was a right devil you know, it could've had my eye out." She grinned suddenly. "And there's one thing we've forgotten one thing, you know."

"What?"

"This cat is owned by Vera Bates! It's a good job it's only little still and she hasn't had a chance to train it up to deliberately harm yet!" She shot Cora a look, smirking, and Cora shook her head fondly.

"Don't be ridiculous Sarah," she smiled. "And don't let Rosamund hear you talking like that! You know she doesn't like it when we tease Vera. But if you're really worried, come here and I'll check your cheek for you."

Sarah scooted over obligingly. "Oh, Vera doesn't care, she teases us enough," she said. "She thinks we're a right pair of sentimental sods."

"To be fair darling, that's because we probably are…" Cora sighed. "Come here, keep still if you want me to check these scratches."

"Well, there's absolutely nothing there," Cora said after a moment. "Quite a shame actually, I rather wanted to kiss it better." She glanced at Sarah mischievously, eyes twinkling.

She looked practically looked like a kitten herself, and Sarah rubbed her shoulder fondly. "Well, go on then, you might as well do it anyway, love," she grinned. Cora leant forward and gently kissed Sarah's cheek, before pulling her round for a proper kiss, sighing into her wife as they embraced.

"I might try get myself sent home from work with a headache more often if I get to come home to this," Sarah mumbled when they at last broke apart.

Cora smiled and kissed her again. "It'd be nice if you could be home without the headache part though," she said. "I do so worry about how hard you're working, you know."

She brushed her hands across Sarah's shoulders, Sarah pulling her into her arms, and she tucked a stray loop of hair back behind Cora's ear. "I know you do," she whispered. "You worry far too much."

Cora laughed slightly against Sarah's mouth. "Shh," she sighed. "Let's not talk about work now." She kissed Sarah passionately and Sarah responded with fervour, hands ghosting over Cora's breasts and down towards her thigh.

"Upstairs?" she whispered. "Leave Linny here for a bit? It's something she'll have to get used to with living with Vera and Ros!"

Cora spluttered with laughter. "Sarah!" she giggled, but at the same time she smiled serenely and nodded quietly. They got up, taking each other's hands as they went.


End file.
